"I would like to apply to defend her honor when this is over and done with. I swear by the Goddess that I will follow all laws to the letter until these men are apprehended. Once they are in the hands of the Council I seek the permission to defend her honor." Jerome stated. He wasn't expecting to be argued with.
Commander Weiss knew that he was being ordered in the least obvious way possible. Jerome was making a promise, not asking for permission. He chuckled to himself marveling at the boy's apparent diplomacy.
"Jerome," his father began.
"Father," Jerome looked at his father his emotions open for everyone to see. The rage, despair, and anxiety tore at everyone's hearts. Losing your mate was almost worse than having your soul consciously ripped from you.
"Son, I know this is hard," Jacob began slowly. "I know there is nothing worse than knowing she needs you right now and you have to wait."
Jerome stopped pacing. "If anything happens to her..." His voice broke and he clenched his fists. The air in the room chilled substantially.
"Boss," Pieter began, "we'll get her and help her rescue the other girls."
The air started warming up. Jerome nodded. He resumed pacing.
Commander Weiss coughed and his breath came out misty. "Jerome, are you aware of the level of power you are exhibiting, inadvertently?"
"Sir?" Jerome asked. He looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
The look was just the comic relief everyone needed as everyone chuckled at the sudden wide-eyed, innocence he displayed. Jerome grinned sheepishly. He settled for a shrug.
"God and Goddess be with your enemies. I would not want to be in their shoes when you are allowed to defend her honor," Commander Weiss commented to Jerome.
He turned to the elder Wilder. "Jacob, you realize we have to test his DNA?"
"I did that when I was six. I can make my findings available for your inspection. I'm certain your team will not find anything I don't already know." Jerome casually remarked.
Jacob started. "You had doubts, Son?" His heart clenched just thinking about the possibility that his son might be another man's child. His mind dismissed the thought looking at a younger version of himself. He wondered why Jerome would have that doubt.
Jerome smiled. "I am a little different from your other sons, Father. I had to be sure I was not going to burden the Clan of Wilder. I had to be certain that I belonged."
"You are family, of course, you belong." Jacob Wilder's accent had shifted into Island and True Nature. He searched his mind for anything he could have done that made his child doubt his place in his father's heart to the point of thinking he was another man's child.
Jerome embraced his father, "I know that now. Your love has been constant."
Jerome let go of his father and turned to the rest of the group. He took a swab from a nurse that appeared at the door and scraped the inside of his cheek. He handed it back to her.
"I'll be in the tactical planning room if you need me." He nodded at Pieter who stood up and followed him out.
***************************************************************************
"Alexa, why did you do it?" Pieter looked down at his sister in the cell. His green eyes begged her to talk. His normally clean-shaven, chiseled jaw had stubble which was evidence of his stress levels.
While the cells were not the lap of luxury the stark, stone walls were a huge contrast to the modern homes above. The air had a chill to it that was uncomfortable. The silence was eerie.
"That black, mixed, bitch can't have him," Alexa spat in disgust.
"Lexa!" Pieter roared. He could not believe his blood sister.
His voice echoed across the space increasing the intensity of his command. He sat on a chair outside the cell.
To her credit, she flinched a little. "Do you realize how much danger you are in right now? You put the Future Luna in danger!"
"No, she isn't! He just marked her because she was going to die. She's not his mate!" Alexa shouted with frustration.
"Alexa," Pieter began softly, "He's known for four years." He looked at his sister in pity.
"But, you and the Alpha train her too," Alexa argued a bit more softly.
"Because we're among the best. Jerome didn't want what happened to her to ever occur again. That nothingness you felt was Jerome before he got angry. The whole pack felt it," Pieter sighed.
There had been a moment of nothingness that every single pack member had felt just before Jerome had gone ballistic on Alexa.
He wasn't Alpha yet and yet his despair had touched them all before he controlled it.
Sometimes Pieter wondered how his sister could be so oblivious.
"What about me training with you guys?" She challenged. She stuck her chin out in protest.
"You're my sister! Of course, my best friend would want my interests protected. A sane Beta is an asset." Pieter was at a loss as to how dense his baby sister was.
He couldn't fathom how she had forgotten her brother's importance to the Alpha.
"An insane Alpha is dangerous to the pack," Alexa whispered to herself.
They'd been taught that very early. In training, all pack members were taught that protecting the Luna was paramount to protecting the rest of the pack. A happy Alpha took care of everyone and everything.
"Yeah, well you made that little sister," Pieter stated.
"Shit, I've really fucked up haven't I?" Alexa huffed sitting with her back against the concrete wall on the right. She started dreading her father coming down. Her brother was intimidating but their father was beyond scary as a Beta.
"Yes. You're not coming out of here until she's found." Pieter told her sternly.
"But he knows where she is. So that won't take long." Alexa's voice was hopeful.
Pieter shook his head and sighed. "He's a warrior of the Council of Councils. There's protocol, lots of it. It's an All-Races affair."
An easy silence filled the space between them.
"Lexa, why did you do it?"
"She has all the attention. She's not even legal and guys are falling at her feet. Have you seen her dance? Like when no one is watching?" Alexa lamented.
Pieter felt an uneasy tension creep into his body. He knew that once Jerome had seen her dance and had summoned Pieter while Pieter was sleeping to hold him back from acting foolish. He didn't like the thought of Jerome fighting not only himself but his seniors to keep what was his from the eyes of other men.
The future Beta felt a level of despair at having to be the one that had to keep his future Alpha from going ballistic. Jerome was probably more powerful than his father.
Pieter knew this because every Beta was able to give and receive power from their Alpha and he'd seen his father hold back other Alphas to protect their Alpha, Jacob and if the Alpha was foolish enough to persist Jacob made them submit.
In their training, Pieter had found himself handling some very powerful future Alphas without much strain.
His father had taught him how to make it look like it was hard work for the dignity of the Alphas and the protection of his future Alpha. It was something they only ever spoke about through mind conversations.
Pieter feared his sister's stunt would reveal the source of his Pack's power. With Gaby unsafe, Jerome's sensibilities could be clouded beyond his training and he would probably use all his powers to get her back. Not even the Council of Councils' full membership knew all of Jerome's capabilities.
"Alexa," Pieter sighed her name. This was getting dangerously close to a colossal disaster. Alphas, especially unmated ones, tended to be highly volatile.
"I know," she looked back at eyes as green as hers were blue. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth. She was highly strung, even though she knew that, and she sometimes didn't think through the consequences.
As siblings, they had often not needed to speak and could read each other's feelings. It was a skill they had used to keep each other out of trouble. Right now, Pieter wasn't sure what to do to keep his sister from dying.
Their father had gone mad when he'd heard where his daughter was. When he found out why Alexa could find herself on the one side of their father he reserved only for work. Pieter didn't relish having to see that.
Everyone knew that the Beta was fair, no matter what. This would be no different. Even if his own daughter was involved.
Pieter wasn't sure if he could be as fair as his father. Jerome was sensible and not as hot-headed as some of the Alphas he knew and he was grateful for that. It made his job a lot easier.
There had been a time when Jerome was reckless and he'd earned himself some real enemies. Jerome was a gifted wolf and had been naughty as a toddler and pre-teen. So much so that Luna had asked the Beta to discipline the boys and not the Alpha, because she was sure the Alpha would kill his own son.
After Luna Esme had been kidnapped; Jerome became extremely withdrawn; extra careful. Pieter thought it was because Jerome might have had something to do with her disappearing. They'd never talked about it because Jerome completely clammed up on the subject.
Alpha Jacob had mentioned it once or twice in passing but Pieter hadn't really paid much attention, at the time. He did recall his father giving him and Jerome a long lecture on responsibility. He'd been about 12 at the time.
Little had their father known; he should have included his daughter in the lecture. Had their father known, their lecture would have been entirely unfiltered, of that Pieter was certain. He sighed and stood up.
"Okay, Enemy. I'm going to go clean up your mess. If she dies or doesn't make it out of this whole and pure...You know you'll remind him every time he sees you that he failed to protect her despite the Alpha's Mark. Alphas who feel powerless..."
"Take power from the Pack." Alexa finished. She ran her hand through her hair.
"Well, I guess I'll go down in history as a modern reason why every wolf will have to learn these sayings and chant them off by heart." Her voice was full of regret.
"No shit." Pieter shook his head. This was by far the dumbest thing his sister had ever done.